Neuronavigation

Abstract

Abstract The relatively high focality of transcranial brain stimulation requires accurate targeting of the fields delivered to the brain in order to stimulate the neural circuits that mediate the intended effect while reducing the unintended exposure of other brain areas. A range of tools support accurate individualized targeting of transcranial stimulation. Since targets are increasingly defined through anatomical, functional, or connectivity imaging, individualized gyrus-precise head models help to identify optimal placement of the stimulation transducers. Neuronavigation systems, such as frameless stereotaxy, can enable accurate delivery of stimulation to these targets. This is achieved by real-time tracking of the stimulation transducer and the subject’s head, and co-registering the head position to a computer model of the head anatomy and other target information. Whereas neuronavigation is currently limited to the spatial positioning of the transducers relative to the brain target, stimulation technologies that introduce functional or neuron-type-specific selectivity will demand novel tools for optimal targeting. As real-time simulation and robot-assisted motion-compensated transducer placement become feasible, technology is trending toward the convergence of computational intervention planning and neuronavigation.